Stranger in the Rain
by DigiExpert
Summary: Her footsteps splashed against the sidewalk as the door slammed shut behind her. She couldn’t take it anymore. Everything had become upsetting, work was a nightmare, her life was a nightmare...Will anyone notice? WARNING: femslash. [Oneshot]


**WARNING: This fic deals with femslash. Don't like it? Don't read it and don't leave reviews about not liking the pairing. Obviously AU. **

**This is something I pretty much did at work; I don't want you thinking I'm not working on WF. All it needed was a conclusion, which I was able to add today. Enjoy and leave some feedback :)**

Her footsteps splashed against the sidewalk as the door slammed shut behind her. She couldn't take it anymore. Everything had become upsetting, work was a nightmare, her life was a nightmare. She walked briskly through the rain that poured down on the town. It matched her mood and hid the tears that flowed down her cheeks. She didn't know where she was heading; running off into the rain without a second thought wasn't the smartest thing, but it was the only thing she could think of. She just had to get away.

She'd moved back home to Angel Grove a few months prior, hoping to settle down and make a life for herself. Contrary to what anyone chose to believe, she was alone and poor. Her gymnastics career had fallen apart since she sustained an injury to her elbow after Pan Globals. Unable to keep the strength up in her arm enough to support her, she'd been forced to give up her lifelong dream. She'd considered becoming a coach, but no one wanted to hire her, at least not in Florida. So she'd moved back home to try and make a life of the sport there instead. She'd found a job as a coach, but it wasn't enough to comfortably support her.

Kimberly crossed her arms tightly across her chest. She was becoming soaked to the bone, her clothes sticking to her. No one was on the streets on such a dreary afternoon. The citizens were either in work or at school. No one noticed the young woman. Perhaps that was because she chose to stick to the lesser known streets, straying far from downtown Angel Grove. The last time she'd walked the streets, she'd been a naïve teenager, with hopes and dreams for the future. Now she was bitter, knowing that life wasn't the fairy tale she dreamed of. Her dreams had either been crushed or fallen short of the mark. She knew she needed a confidante, but she didn't know where to turn. She was uncertain of everything.

Unbeknownst to her, a figure had seen her soaked form pass by. The face had reacted in surprise, instantly recognizing the wet Kimberly. Too caught up in her tears and keeping her eyes on the sidewalk, Kimberly had not seen the figure. The figure, a woman about the same age, instantly began trailing after Kimberly. She wore a black overcoat with a matching beret and carried a blue umbrella to keep the cold rain off. She'd left work early for the day, having errands to attend to, but those were forgotten. She kept up with Kimberly, not getting too close, not yet.

Kimberly continued onward, still uncertain of where she was heading, but her footsteps lead her to the entrance to the park. She walked inside, her feet seeming to know where to take her. The woman still followed her, her boots splashing in the small puddles of water on the sidewalk. Kimberly heaved another sob; at the same moment, her foot caught in a crack on the sidewalk and she lost her balance. She wobbled; fate seemed to be lending her a hand. Kimberly tumbled sideways into the grass, rolling down the hill. Bits of grass and mud clung to her wet body and she came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. She didn't have the energy to pull herself to her feet. She simply laid there and sobbed harder.

The woman moved quickly as she witnessed Kimberly's fall. She made her way down the hill slowly, not wanting to end up rolling as Kimberly had done. She sucked in her breath as she finally stood by Kimberly. She held the umbrella over her fallen friend, and crouched down, placing a hand on Kimberly's right shoulder. "Kimberly?" she called softly.

Kimberly instantly raised her head when she heard someone call her name. The voice was so familiar, and soothing. Her eyes locked with those of a brilliant blue. "K-Katherine?" she asked, not really believing.

Katherine nodded her head. "I saw you earlier and followed you because you were soaked and very upset. Let me help you."

Kimberly shook her head. "No, I don't need any help."

Katherine refused to let Kimberly's stubbornness get to her. "You can't lay here in the rain. You're already soaked and dirty. Come home with me. You'll get sick otherwise."

Kimberly was about to disagree, but she was too tired to refuse anymore. She nodded her head to Katherine, who held out a hand for Kimberly. Kimberly took it and Katherine's strong grip clasped around her weak one. Katherine pulled Kimberly to her feet. For the first time, Kimberly realized how cold she was. She shivered and her teeth chattered. Katherine pulled off her overcoat, knowing she would keep warm enough until she arrived back at her apartment. She placed the garment around Kimberly's shoulders; Kimberly looked at her quizzically. "You need it," whispered Katherine. Katherine pulled the petite brunette against her side, placing an arm around Kimberly's waist to steady her. She held the umbrella over Kimberly's head and together they walked back up the hill.

Kimberly was silent as the two made their way to Katherine's apartment on the west side of the downtown district. Katherine kept the woman pulled against her to prevent her from catching more of a chill or losing her balance. Every so often she glanced down at the brunette. She hadn't seen her in years. Her brain had pushed her aside, but her heart hadn't. Katherine still felt something for her after all these years. She had never said anything, and wouldn't unless the opportunity presented itself. Things already appeared to be bad enough.

A rush of warm air greeted Kimberly as the two women entered the apartment. She noticed that Katherine didn't let go, instead leading her down the hallway and into the bathroom. She guided Kimberly to sit on top of the toilet, making sure it was closed first. "Wait here," instructed Katherine, before leaving again.

She made her way to her bedroom, in search of clothing that Kimberly would fit into. She grabbed a pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt that was too small for her. She also grabbed some undergarments before making her way to the hall closet, where she grabbed a fluffy bath towel. Her arms were full as she entered the bathroom. As she had instructed, Kimberly had not moved. The woman had pulled the overcoat around her to warm herself, but she was still shivering. Katherine set the clothing on the edge of the sink, and placed the towel on the towel rack outside of the shower. "Take a hot shower Kim. It'll warm that cold out of you. Here's some spare clothing for you when you finish. Just leave your wet clothes in a pile; I'll pick them up later to wash." She turned and left the bathroom, leaving Kimberly to wonder why Katherine was doing all of this for her. Katherine wanted to say more, but didn't. There would be plenty of time afterwards.

Katherine waited outside the bathroom door until she heard the water running. She then briskly walked to the kitchen and began to heat a pot of water. Some hot tea would do them good and it would warm Kimberly up. She hummed softly to herself as she pulled the box of teabags from a cabinet. She grabbed two mugs and waited for the water to boil. When it finally did, she turned the burner off, leaving the water sit until she heard the shower turn off. She knew Kimberly was done then, so she poured the water into the two mugs, placing the teabags inside. She set the prepared tea onto the counter and sat at the kitchen table, picking up the newspaper she had begun reading that morning.

Five minutes passed and she suddenly got the strange feeling she was being watched. She lowered the newspaper and saw Kimberly leaning against the doorframe, her hair still wet. Katherine immediately rose. "Let's go into the living room. You go have a seat and I'll bring us something to drink." Without a word, Kimberly turned and disappeared. Katherine grabbed the two mugs and carried them into the living room, setting them on the coasters on the coffee table. She sat beside Kimberly, who had pulled her knees to her chest; she stared straight ahead at the nearby wall.

Katherine placed a hand on Kimberly's leg. "Kim?" she inquired softly.

Kimberly shook her head, and a few water droplets sprayed into the air. She lowered her head. Katherine sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. "Kim, you can't keep it inside forever. Bottling up your feelings will only hurt you in the end."

Kimberly mumbled some type of response and Katherine reached out, her fingertips lifting Kimberly's chin to look at her. "Tell me," she stated simply, a sympathetic smile on her face. Katherine noticed Kimberly's eyes watering again, but kept her fingers under her chin.

Kimberly broke down into a sob and Katherine pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around her. Kimberly sobbed harder into Katherine's shoulders. "I…I can't live….live like this anymore…" spoke Kimberly between sobs.

"What happened?" asked Katherine in a soft tone.

"My dreams…. My job…every…everything is gone…"

Katherine had heard from Jason about Kimberly's gymnastic injury. She had been working on the uneven bars in training for the Olympics when she her right hand slipped as she reached for the upper bar, and she fell. Katherine knew she was lucky to have only gotten her elbow and not her back or head. Kimberly had been devastated at the time. She only knew what Jason had told her because at the time of the accident, she'd been in London studying ballet. That had been two years ago. She hadn't seen Kimberly though since the day the team got their Turbo powers and defeated Maligore. Katherine rubbed Kimberly's back. "What happened to your job?" she asked softly.

"Fired… because… because… I couldn't demon….demonstrate the movements…They had said…that wouldn't matter… but it did… but I never noticed…." Kimberly's tears soaked through Katherine's shirt, but she didn't mind.

"Shhh…Shhh… Kimberly it's all right…do you need somewhere to stay?"

"After tomorrow… I'm being kicked out of my apartment….I can't pay the rent anymore…" Kimberly's sentences became longer fragments as her sobs lessened.

"You can stay with me until you can get back on your feet, Kim. It won't be any trouble for me, really."

"Thank you…"

"Why didn't you tell anyone before? You know your friends would have helped you out any way they could."

Kimberly shook her head against Katherine's shoulder. "No, not they wouldn't…. They wouldn't want someone… like me…. I'm a washed up failure."

It broke Katherine's heart to hear those words. Kimberly sounded so depressed that she was refusing her friends. She wanted to make things better. She wanted to, but was the time right? And what would Kimberly say? She lifted Kimberly's head from her shoulder and tilted her chin to look up at her. "Yes they would Kimberly. I care about you," she whispered this bit, wondering if Kimberly would take it the way she meant it. She doubted it, but deep in her heart she hoped.

Kimberly looked up at the Australian. She knew she wasn't being truthful about her friends. They cared; she just didn't care to tell them. She didn't want to burden them, didn't want them to know life wasn't what it seemed. They knew only what she told them, not what she truly felt. They didn't know the true ending to her and Tommy's relationship, nor did they know the true ending to her and Andrew's relationship. After going through both, Kimberly had given up on the dating scene; she couldn't trust herself and she couldn't trust anyone she dated. Katherine's words echoed in her mind. There were two meanings to those words from anyone. For some reason, Kimberly's gut feeling told her it wasn't a simple friendship gesture. For once, Kimberly didn't care.

Katherine noticed the contemplating look on Kimberly's face. She seemed to be considering Katherine's words, and Katherine gulped. Here would be the point where she'd know something, if anything. If she was slapped, then she'd know things weren't meant to ever happen. Katherine leaned her head down, pressing her lips gently against Kimberly's. She waited for the stinging slap that was to come, but none ever did. She pulled away, and looked over at Kimberly, who looked back at her. The two said nothing, and Katherine didn't try again. She'd found her answer, even if Kimberly said nothing. There was still hope in Katherine's heart. Kimberly didn't pull away from Katherine's grip, and the two spent the time in silence. There would be plenty of time for talking later on…Kimberly would soon be living with her.

Kimberly couldn't explain why she kissed Katherine or why it didn't seem so bad. She couldn't explain any of what she was feeling. Everything just felt right. Her head glanced toward a window and she noticed the rain still pouring down outside. She shivered at the thought, and felt Katherine's arms embrace her more. She was certain she wouldn't be running off into the rain anytime soon.

**Hope you all enjoyed. This was a one-shot, so don't expect anymore chapters or such. Please leave some feedback :)  
**


End file.
